My hypothesis for my experiment: If the ocean is high tide, then there will be more fish in the tide pools. If the ocean is low tide, then there will be less fish in the tide pools. (b/c more ocean, more fish and less ocean, less fish)
For my experiment I will go to the tide pools and observe (approximately) how many fish are there and also record the type of conditions that the tide pools are experiencing at that time (i.e. low tide, high tide, hot (sun), windy, etc.).
Observations on 11/27/08 (2:30pm w/3 people)
Free Journal Entry #1:
1) Low tide
2) Barley any high water levels
3) almost all dry rock
4) Tide pools range in water volume from 1/2 cup to several gallons
5) Not many fish in the ponds
6) Specific amount total (estimated): Within 14 tide pools I counted 9 fish
7) Tide pools also range in size from very small to about medium (not that many large ones)
8) Out of the 14 tide pools, 5 had low water levels and had salt starting to condense on the top and edges
9) Less water=more salt
10) The wind was very harsh
11) When low tide the fish in the tide pools become more vulnerable to local predators (i.e. mongoose, birds, cats [people and crabs])
12) The fish are also vulnerable to the direct heat of the sunlight
13) Because there are less people here today, we can infer that not a lot of fish were caught (killed) by people
Observations on 11/28/08 (3:50pm w/7 people)
Free Journal Entry #2:
1) Still low tide
2) Still no high water levels
3) Still almost all dry rock
4) Within 14 tide pools I counted approximately 16 fish (so the number of fish increased by 7 fish)
5) Tide pools still rang from a 1/2 cup to several gallons
6) Tide pools still range in size from small to medium (not large ones)
7) Today was hotter than yesterday, meaning that the tide pools have a better chance of drying up and the fish not having anywhere to go and slowly dying
8) Because there are more people today, I can infer that there might be a better chance that they're catching fish (I saw nets)
9) There are more tide pools that have dried up today, resulting in me seeing more salt crusting at the top and edges of the tide pools
10) The Algae that's still visible have almost all dried up from the heat of the sun
11) Today and yesterday the tide pools are 50 ft from the ocean
12) The wind is still today
13) Since even more tide pools have dried up today then the amount that dried up yesterday, this could mean that the fish are even more vulnerable to the local predators (i.e. mongoose, birds, cats [people and crabs])
14) Although its low tide today, the waves seem to be gradually coming in, meaning we can infer that it will be high tide later tonight and tomorrow
15) Will it be high tide soon? We shall see....
Observations on 11/30/08 (9:40am w/2 people)
Free Journal Entry #3:
1) High tide
2) Due to high tide the salt in the tide pools is not visible any more because of the water coming in constantly
3) No tide pools stand alone, they are all interconnected due to the high tide
4) The water flows constantly due to the harsh waves coming in
5) Because of the constant flow of the water, there are no fish that are stable in any of the tide pools
6) The tide pools are within 20 ft from the incoming waves
7) The algae is wet and fresh due to the constant water flow
8) When seeing the fish in the tide pools, they immediately get sucked back into the ocean due to the strong ocean current (waves!)
9) It is as if there is no life in the tide pools when it is high tide
10) The volume of water in the tide pools constantly changes due to the harsh water flow
11) The water flow stops within 8ft of the shore line
12) It's very cool (not hot) and the wind is still (not harsh like the past 2 days).
13) Due to there only being 2 people at the tide pools today, and counting the fact that there weren’t any fish at the tide pools today, I can infer that they did not catch a lot or no fish at all.
Over all: Collected Date/Observations-NUMBER OF FISH AND WHETHER THEY ARE LOW TIDE OR HIGH TIDE
So by looking at this collected data/observations I can say that between the two times that it was low tide, the data was very different (w/ a difference of 7 fish). And with the time that it was high tide, there were no fish, which goes against what I said in my experiment/hypothesis.
Conclusion:
I conclude that when it's low tide, that there are more fish in the tide pools because when there's less water the fish get trapped within the tide pools and have no where to go. But when it's high tide, there are less fish in the tide pools because when there's more water and the waves/currents are more harsh, the fish can get immediately sucked backed into the ocean (resulting in no fish in the tide pools). Although my conclusion goes against my hypothesis, doing this experiment was all a good learning experience! IT WAS FUN! YEAH!
Assigned Journal Entry (Carbon Cycle): My ecosystem is a Biological Process and Geochemical Process
Carbon Cycle
-This is what I think my ecosystem's carbon cycle would look like-
My hypothesis for my experiment: If the ocean is high tide, then there will be more fish in the tide pools. If the ocean is low tide, then there will be less fish in the tide pools. (b/c more ocean, more fish and less ocean, less fish)
For my experiment I will go to the tide pools and observe (approximately) how many fish are there and also record the type of conditions that the tide pools are experiencing at that time (i.e. low tide, high tide, hot (sun), windy, etc.).
Observations on 11/27/08 (2:30pm w/3 people)
Free Journal Entry #1:
1) Low tide
2) Barley any high water levels
3) almost all dry rock
4) Tide pools range in water volume from 1/2 cup to several gallons
5) Not many fish in the ponds
6) Specific amount total (estimated): Within 14 tide pools I counted 9 fish
7) Tide pools also range in size from very small to about medium (not that many large ones)
8) Out of the 14 tide pools, 5 had low water levels and had salt starting to condense on the top and edges
9) Less water=more salt
10) The wind was very harsh
11) When low tide the fish in the tide pools become more vulnerable to local predators (i.e. mongoose, birds, cats [people and crabs])
12) The fish are also vulnerable to the direct heat of the sunlight
13) Because there are less people here today, we can infer that not a lot of fish were caught (killed) by people
Observations on 11/28/08 (3:50pm w/7 people)
Free Journal Entry #2:
1) Still low tide
2) Still no high water levels
3) Still almost all dry rock
4) Within 14 tide pools I counted approximately 16 fish (so the number of fish increased by 7 fish)
5) Tide pools still rang from a 1/2 cup to several gallons
6) Tide pools still range in size from small to medium (not large ones)
7) Today was hotter than yesterday, meaning that the tide pools have a better chance of drying up and the fish not having anywhere to go and slowly dying
8) Because there are more people today, I can infer that there might be a better chance that they're catching fish (I saw nets)
9) There are more tide pools that have dried up today, resulting in me seeing more salt crusting at the top and edges of the tide pools
10) The Algae that's still visible have almost all dried up from the heat of the sun
11) Today and yesterday the tide pools are 50 ft from the ocean
12) The wind is still today
13) Since even more tide pools have dried up today then the amount that dried up yesterday, this could mean that the fish are even more vulnerable to the local predators (i.e. mongoose, birds, cats [people and crabs])
14) Although its low tide today, the waves seem to be gradually coming in, meaning we can infer that it will be high tide later tonight and tomorrow
15) Will it be high tide soon? We shall see....
Observations on 11/30/08 (9:40am w/2 people)
Free Journal Entry #3:
1) High tide
2) Due to high tide the salt in the tide pools is not visible any more because of the water coming in constantly
3) No tide pools stand alone, they are all interconnected due to the high tide
4) The water flows constantly due to the harsh waves coming in
5) Because of the constant flow of the water, there are no fish that are stable in any of the tide pools
6) The tide pools are within 20 ft from the incoming waves
7) The algae is wet and fresh due to the constant water flow
8) When seeing the fish in the tide pools, they immediately get sucked back into the ocean due to the strong ocean current (waves!)
9) It is as if there is no life in the tide pools when it is high tide
10) The volume of water in the tide pools constantly changes due to the harsh water flow
11) The water flow stops within 8ft of the shore line
12) It's very cool (not hot) and the wind is still (not harsh like the past 2 days).
13) Due to there only being 2 people at the tide pools today, and counting the fact that there weren’t any fish at the tide pools today, I can infer that they did not catch a lot or no fish at all.
Over all:
Collected Date/Observations-NUMBER OF FISH AND WHETHER THEY ARE LOW TIDE OR HIGH TIDE
So by looking at this collected data/observations I can say that between the two times that it was low tide, the data was very different (w/ a difference of 7 fish). And with the time that it was high tide, there were no fish, which goes against what I said in my experiment/hypothesis.
Conclusion:
I conclude that when it's low tide, that there are more fish in the tide pools because when there's less water the fish get trapped within the tide pools and have no where to go. But when it's high tide, there are less fish in the tide pools because when there's more water and the waves/currents are more harsh, the fish can get immediately sucked backed into the ocean (resulting in no fish in the tide pools). Although my conclusion goes against my hypothesis, doing this experiment was all a good learning experience! IT WAS FUN! YEAH!
Assigned Journal Entry (Carbon Cycle):
My ecosystem is a Biological Process and Geochemical Process
Carbon Cycle
-This is what I think my ecosystem's carbon cycle would look like-